Here's a quickie tutorial on how to tint black and white photos using Claudine Hellmuth Studio paints and Extra Time Medium. It's an easy way to add a touch of color to photos and give them a more painterly look!

Blog envy. We all get it. It starts off as innocent internet surfing and next thing you know you feel like everyone's life is better than yours. They make more art, they have more success they are holding their babies in one arm and making art with the other, they have giant book deals all while whipping up recipes from Pinterest. They get tons of blog comments, they get lots of advertisers on their blogs, whatever you feel is lacking in your life/business suddenly becomes magnified. A simple internet browsing turns into a "what's wrong with me" emotional crisis.

I have been wanting to do a post about dealing with internet jealousy for a long time. Then this morning on Twitter I see that @SisterDiane has a great discussion about dealing with internet jealousy over at Google+. Join in on the discussion here! I hopped on over to the discussion and it was refreshing to see so many bloggers feel the same way. It's so easy to think it's just you! As a blogger who writes about my business, it is very tricky to post about the down and dirty realities of running your own business as an artist. As with any business there are the highs and the accomplishments, but there are also times filled with worry, heartbreak and self doubt. This year has not been pretty for me. I've have a few business deals fall through, things I had high hopes for but for whatever reason they didn't work out. There have been many tears shed and rethinking of my work and my life. I hesitate to post about it here on my blog because I don't want to appear as though I am whining about things that haven't worked out, and for the fear that it would make me look undesirable to future clients. It's a very tricky balance to share the ups and downs of business and maintain a professional blog and I think most bloggers prefer to show the shiny side of their business and life.

#3 in her list "Everyone is having a hard time of it" is
especially true. I think about this when Blog Envy starts bubbling up. Remember what you are seeing on blogs is a filtered view
of someone's life. They share the success, the beautiful photos, the
great decor in their homes. Meanwhile they are like the rest of us with
junk drawers, messy closets, life, business and family issues.They've got a great discussion over on Google+ so check it out there and I'd love to hear your thoughts on blog envy and how you cope/deal or avoid it!

A quick little sneak peek at one my new HSN kits that I will be releasing September 13th on HSN TV and HSN.com!

I have so much more to share with you in this kit but for now I'll share with you this cute, cute, cute packaging that I had so much fun designing!!
A little Sweet Shoppe house!

This is a HUGE sticker kit with hundreds of stickers and guess what!! Some of them are Scratch N Sniff!!! oh yeah! Just a few sheets so it's not overwhelming! But they smell so amazing! chocolate, strawberry, vanilla! yum!

Were you like me and collected stickers in the 2nd grade? I had stacked of photo albums full of stickers to trade at recess. These bring back so many fun memories!
In a week or so I'll share with you a video with all the goodies inside!

Mark your calendars for Sept 13th! I'll post air times as soon as I have them!

Here's a quickie tutorial on how to glue collage papers. The process is simple and with practice, you'll never have to worry about air bubbles again!

I often get asked how to glue papers with gel medium and not get bubbles. There is a little trick to it and I'll show you my technique! Using gel medium to glue your layouts or artwork is a great way to protect your work, you'll create a smooth, waterproof and archival surface which will stand the test of time.

First let's talk about what gel medium is. Gel medium is essentially acrylic paint without the pigment, so it dries clear. It is used to seal surfaces as a type of varnish, you can mix it with your acrylic paint to make the paint into glazes. And because it is archival and non-yellowing many people like to use it as their glue.I have used gel medium as my glue for 22 years and I can't even think about using anything else!

Many different companies make gel medium and some are thicker or thinner than others, some come in a matte finish, semi-gloss or gloss etc.

I got to create my own DREAM gel medium with Ranger that has all the elements needed to make it perfect for mixed media use! I'll be using my Multi-Medium in Matte from the Claudine Hellmuth Studio product line for this demo.

Xyron passed the 35,000 Facebook fans - and they are celebrating with an ENTIRE WEEK of giveaways! EVERY DAY this week four people will win prize packs worth over $200 from Xyron and some of their favorite partners.

Todays giveaway is a selection of my paper crafting kits on HSN! Two of the kits, the Chipboard kit and the Pop Art Sticker kit are not available
anymore because they are SOLD OUT and these are a couple of extras that we wanted to share! How's that for fun!!
Be sure to enter today and every day this week at www.xyron.com/prize!

Today was the first day of my online class- Composition For Collage with Big Picture Classes. We are having a blast in the message boards and students are already positing their artwork (I comment on every single post with ideas, suggestions and encouragement!)

There is still time to register! Registration doesn't close until August 8th. So hurry on over and sign up!

You'll also want to make sure to stop by the Paper Clipping blog first they have a 10% off discount code for my online class . This workshop started today and ends August 29th and is only $27 (with the discount!) and you get forever
access, 4 weeks with me and tips and tricks to make your collages,
scrapbooking or journaling amazing!!